Extensible connecter for bracelets



Jan. 31, 1939.y H. P.`BENNTT 2,145,681@

EXTENSIBLE CONNECTER FOR BRACELETS 54, zo' 10 l Inval/inw r HA/ey BENNETT by MW Patented Jan. 31, 1939 UNITED STATES autres PATENT OFFICE 2,145,680 EXTENSIBLE CONNECTER FOR BRACELETS Application July 23, 1938, Serial N0. 220,858

8 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements' in eX- tensible connecters for bracelets.

More especially it relates to connecters in the nature of clasps of the general type in which the clasp is permanently connected between two end portions of a bracelet, being extensible to permit the bracelet to pass over the hand of the wearer, and retractible to retain the bracelet snugly encircling the wrist. The invention provides a link construction which may be folded and latched closed in any of various degrees of extension of the clasp for adjustment to accommodate the wearers wrist; and whose establishment in this adjustment, as against further extension, and against opening, are safe-guarded by the requireu ment for preliminary lateral pressure in two directions, i. e. that it be pressed toward the wrist and be slid across the wrist endwise of the link, b fore the folded and latched links become released.

Numerous proposals have been made heretofore relating to bracelet connectors of the extensible, folding link variety to which the invention relates. All such are designed primarily for preventing loss of the bracelet, in that, if the clasp becomes accidentally opened, the bracelet cannot fall off without passing over ones hand and so warning the person. But the practicability and popular approval of any particular connecter of this general type depends in large measure upon the facility with which it can be closed upon and adjusted on the wrist, and released for extension and removal over the hand.

It is among the objects of the invention to pro vide a bracelet connecter wherein a folding link may be latched in any of various folded positions of adjustment, by mere finger pressure applied on the top of the folded link or links, and may be unlatched, to be further adjusted, or to be opened, by a like down linger-pressure plus a pressure in the desired longitudinal direction.

One feature resides in the springing of the latch in opposite directions crosswise of the clasp, for

the link to become fastened at the selected degree' of tightness around the wrist, and in its becoming housed between the sides of the body, yet permitting yielding of the link as a whole further into said body, for the disengaging.

It is also a feature that my improved latching mechanism becomes entirely concealed during use of the connecter on ones wrist.

The said objects and results may be attained by employing a channel-shaped connecter body whose side walls are turned over inward and downward, having edge notches facing toward the bottom of the body. A second channel-shaped member is slidable in this body, its side walls being housed in or guided by the said turned-over Preferably the folding member will consist of two links hinged together; and the main body of the rst of these folding links will be a plane sheet of spring metal, one end portion being bent so that the body tends to spring up a 10 little from the bottom of the channel body; and this plane is slotted longitudinally a substantial distance from its outer end, thus providing spring are adapted by cam action on the teeth, to force these arms together, as the links are pressed down between said side walls, until the edge teeth the slit link member underlies its hinged companion member so that the latch mechanism is entirely concealed. ,40

It is intended that the patent shall cover, by suitable expression in the appended claims, whatever features of patentable novelty exist in the invention disclosed.

In the accompanying drawing: 45

Figure 1 is a top plan of a bracelet connecter, embodying features of the invention, and shown fully contracted;

Figure 2 is a similar view showing the connecter of Figure 1 fully extended;

Figure 3 is a side elevation, in section on 3 3 of Figure 2 enlarged;

Figure 4 is a side elevation, in section on 4 4 of Figure l, on the scale of Figure 3; 55

Figure 5 is an elevation, in section on 5-5 of Figure 4; and

Figure 6 is a side elevation with the links partly extended.

Referring to the drawing, the connecter body may be channel shaped with bottom wall IIl, and with upstanding side walls I2, turned inward and downward toward the bottomto: provide a groove I4, extending along eachV side of the body. The bottom II), at one end, may be extended a little and formed into a loop I6, for permanent fastening of this body to one end of the bracelet Iii'.

A second channel-shapedfmember 20, slightly smaller in cross section, telescopes in the connecter body, with its sides 22 travelling in the grooves I4. A tongue 24 may be cut from the bottom of member 20 and pressed out of the plane of the bottom to travel in a groove 2t depressed from the bottom I8 of the body. Tls groove. has an end wall to engage the tongue and so to limit the travel of member 28 out of the. connecter body.

Folding links 28, 38 areplane-plates hinged together at 32. Of these, link 28 is pivotally secured to member 28 as at 34; and link 3G may be pivotally connected permanently at 38 to the other end of the bracelet I8.

The link 28 may be made of stiiily resilient spring metal, slotted longitudinally from its hinged joinder to link 30 throughv a substantial portion of its extent, with removal of metal as seen clearly in Figure 2. This provides spring arms 48, 48 which may be resiliently forced edgewise toward each other for` a purpose now to be described.

Each spring arm 40 of link 28 may have on its outside edge a protuberance 42 for coacting with teeth 44 formed by notches in the under edge of each turned down wall' of the grooves I4, I4 of the connecter body. Engagement with those teeth occurs when the links 28, 30 are folded Within the connecter body, and are pressed down inward between the side walls of said body. Except when engaged with the teeth the links 28, 30, in folded relation, may be Ymoved with slide 2li along the connecter body to whatever position may be desired, with the protuberances 42, 42 of link 28 riding clear of the teeth 44; and the slide 2i] goes with them. To latch the links and slide in a chosen position relative to the connecter body, corresponding to the desired wrist rit of bracelet, mere finger pressure applied to the folded links in direction to force them into the connecter channel, causes spring arms 40 to yield until their protuberances 42, snap into engagement with teeth 44 to hold the links against longitudinal movement in the connecter body. The link 28 is thereby maintained against swinging out of said body; and the link 30 folded over it is held by the tightness of the bracelet about the wrist.

If the bracelet is loose, the link 30 is free to swing outward, and therefore lugs 48 are provided on the side Vedges of link 30, in position so that when the connecter is in the fully contracted state of Figure 1 thoselugs 48 engage under portions of the connecter body. Therefore, if the bracelet be loose on a persons wrist the link 30 can be locked down thus; while if the bracelet is worn tight about the wrist, the closeness of t to the wrist will hold the links 38 and 28 shut together, even though not fully contracted.

After being latched, the posititon of the links may be. changed, to extend or contract the connecter, by merely pressing atwise against the folded links, sufficiently to disengage the latch from the teeth by pressing it into the space between teeth and the bottom of the body, and then urging the links by finger pressure in whicheverv longitudinal direction movement is desired. As soon as the pressure is released, the latch becomes effective for holding the links in the new position, because the link 28 is spring set to slope upward from the body, as seen in Figure 4.

When the connecter is to be opened and extended, as for removal of the bracelet, the longitudinal component of pressure accompanying the downward pressure against the folded links can move the slide and the links in direction out of the connecter body until the protuberances 40 of link 28 have cleared that body, when the links may unfold and the connecter be fully extended, as in Figure 2.

The above feature of the invention, that the link 28 may be itself a spring which urges its protuberances 42, upward into tooth engagement,

as well as sidewise into the plane of the teeth, is provided by making this ink, and its connection at 34, such that the ink becomes slightly bowed, as illustrated in Figure 4, when link 28 is folded into and is pressed down within the side walls of the channel-shaped connecter body. The connection at 34 is such that link 28, when swung into the channel member for closing the clasp, engages that part of the slide 20 which is adjacent to the pivot loop 34 before the remote end of link 28 enters between the side walls of the channel, so that, as the link 28 continues to travel to enter between those side walls, that link flexes about sai-d point of engagement in reaching its ultimate position within the channel. l

However, if desired a separate spring may be provided in -the bottom of the connecter body for yieldingly urging the links in direction out of that body.

To facilitate the latching of the links, the walls of the connecter body will be rounded somewhat in being turned over, so as to constitute surfaces for forcing the spring arms 4I) toward each other as their protuberances 42 are forced downward between them to the teeth below.

The teeth 44 may be formed with sloping backs to coact with the protuberances 42 as a ratchet, or they may have abrupt backs, and so prevent movement in each longitudinal direction, until the described downward pressure on the links disengages the latch.

I claim as my invention:

1. An extensible connecter for bracelets comprising the combination, with a channel-form body and a slide therein, of a link connected pivotally to the slide so as to be folded thereon into the channel; said link comprising one or more spring arms, each having a protuberance on its outside edge; each side wall of said channel-form body having rigid therewith an edge facing the plane of vthe bottom wall of the channel, with notches therein, open toward said bottom wall, in which notches the said protuberances on said spring arms of the link can engage when said link, being' within the channel is urged laterally away from said bottom wall of the channel; and there being means extending along each side wall of the channel, adjacent to the said notched edges, for camming said protuberances, and their spring arms, respectively toward each other when the link is folded over the channel and is pressed toward the bottom wall of the channel, whereby said protuberances come into latching relation to said notches; there 1being free space along the channel opposite the said notches, into which space the said pro-tuberances may be depressed to permit movement of the link longitudinally along the channel.

2. An extensible connecter for bracelets as in claim 1 wherein said link comprises a pair of spring arms in side by side relation with the said protuberances on opposite side edges of the link.

3. An extensible connecter for bracelets as in claim 1 wherein there is also means urging the folded link away from the bottom of the channel, for seating the protuberances in the notches.

4. An extensible connecter for bracelets as in claim 1 wherein the said link is of spring material and, when in latched position, is under tension with its protuberance-carrying portion bowed in direction from the bottom of the chan,- nel toward the notches, thereby tending to hold notch-engagement when in latching position.

5. An` extensible connecter for bracelets as in claim 1 wherein a second link is hinged to the I'lrst, and is foldable therewith upon the slide, between the side walls of the channel.

6. An extensible connecter for bracelets as in claim 1 wherein a second link is hinged to the rst, and is foldable therewith upon the slide, between the side walls of the channel, said second link having edgewise protuberances for engaging under a portion of said channel walls when the connecter is fully contracted, whereby said second link is held against out-swinging.

7. An extensible connecter for bracelets as in claim 1 wherein the link is a strip of spring metal cleft longitudinally from one end through a substantial portion of its extent, to provide the said spring arms.

8. An extensible connecter for bracelets as in claim l wherein the link is of spring material and when in latched position, is under tension with its protuberance-carrying portion bowed in direction from the bottom of the channel toward the notches, thereby tending to hold notchengagement when in latching position; and wherein the link is clef-t longitudinally from one end through a substantial portion of its extent, to provide said spring arms.

HARRY P. BENNETT. 

